Niebuhr, H. Richard (Helmut Richard), 1894-1962. Papers, 1912-1962

Helmut Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962), a leading twentieth-century American Protestant theologian and churchman, is known for his contributions to Christian ethics, for his social analysis of American denominationalism, his interpretation of American religious history, study of American theological education, and authorship of books and essays advancing "theocentric" theology. The younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, Helmut was born in Missouri, and was educated at Elmhurst College, Eden Theological Seminary, Washington University, Yale Divinity School, and Yale University, where he received a PhD in religion in 1924. In 1916, he was ordained a minister in the Evangelical Synod, which later merged with the German Reformed Church in America. He taught at Eden Theological Seminary (1919-1922; 1927-1931) and was president of Elmhurst College from 1924 to 1927. From 1931 until 1962, he taught theology and Christian ethics at Yale Divinity School. Some of his major works include: The Social Sources of Denominationalism (1929); The Purpose of the Church and Its Ministry (1956); The Kingdom of God in America (1937); The Meaning of Revelation (1941); Christ and Culture (1951); Radical Monotheism and Western Culture (1960); The Responsible Self (1962); and Faith on Earth: An Inquiry into the Structure of Human Faith (1989).